Guido Scarabottolo: Illustrator–Italy

Guido Scarabottolo was born in Sesto San Giovanni in 1947. in addition to being an architect, he is active as an illustrator and graphic designer. Above all, Guido Scarabottolo is an extraordinary designer who has been illustrating book covers for years, as well as being an art director. His contributions range from the book covers of the publishing company Guanda to the Sunday cultural supplements of Sole24Ore, The New Yorker, and the New York Times, as well as the visual contributions to the social communication of projects for humanitarian organizations.

His world view and his ability to put reality and imagination on paper in such a cultured, refined, and minimalist way have made him an illustrator recognized around the world. Guido Scarabottolo flows from the universe of adult readers to the one of children and young readers with the same seriousness, with the same commitment, and with an apparent lightness that brings us delicate but profound illustrations. With a recognizable style of one who has been professionally trained, Guido Scarabattolo (named Bau) takes us to fantastic worlds where animals that come from different geographical places live with an extraordinary serenity.

For children, through the publishing house Vanvere, which produces only illustrated children's books, Scarabottolo has invented characters and scenarios that emphasize subtle irony and gentle humor. His illustrations speak directly to his readers, capture their attention, and direct them to each distinctive feature of the illustrations.

For the Milan-based publishing company Topipittori, which he has contributed to since its creation, Scarabottolo has created books which address the relationships between siblings and the relationships between children and adults through the interlacing of reality and fantasy. One in particular is the encounter between his illustrations and the words by Giovanna Zoboli. Combining both, he created the beautiful project called PIPPO, "PIccola Pinacoteca POrtatile" (The Small Portable Picture Gallery). It is a project for children and teens which aims to familiarize them with the world of art. It is an opportunity to address beauty as a necessary part of the life of a child, both ethically and aesthetically.

Guido Scarabottolo reminds us that drawing is a strange discipline. It has little to do with control, apart from that of the hand, but it has instead a lot to do with the practice of listening and observation. First, you draw to understand, and after, you can draw to explain or tell. Scarabottolo draws to better understand children, he draws to offer them the opportunity of awe and wonder, and he draws to give voice to their emotions. A narrator with discrete images of profound depth far from the unnecessary clamor of the stage—what he offers is that, together, children and adults can browse the pages where images open up to the world, to relationships, and to meetings that are touched with lightness, set with simplicity, and full of desired kindness.